Personal care device

Abstract

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates to a personal care device. The personal care device includes: a handle; a head located at an end of the handle and having a connection portion for device connection and disconnection; an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor within the handle; and a controller. The controller is configured to: monitor measurements from the IMU sensor over time; calculating one or more measurements from the monitored measurements; identifying a connection event or a disconnection event when the one or more measurements fall within the classification boundary; and outputting the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter of this disclosure relates to personal care devices, such as shaving devices. More specifically, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to personal care devices including a handle and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) within the handle. Background Technology

[0002] US2019224869 describes a shaving appliance including notification circuitry for conveying information about accumulated shaving events. The shaving appliance includes a handle. A power supply, an acceleration sensor, and an angular velocity sensor are located in the handle. A shaving blade holder displacement sensor is also located in the handle and measures the displacement of the shaving blade holder relative to a fixed position on the handle. The displacement sensor can sense new shaving blade holder events.

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to improve existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, a personal care device is provided, comprising: a handle; a head located at an end of the handle and having a connection portion for connecting and disconnecting the device; an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor located within the handle; and a controller configured to: monitor measurement results from the IMU sensor over time; calculate one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; identify a connection event or a disconnection event when one or more measurement values ​​fall within a classification boundary; and output the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal, wherein the IMU includes an accelerometer for measuring acceleration and a gyroscope for measuring rotational speed.

[0005] Advantageously, using an IMU sensor means that no additional sensors are needed to detect the connection and disconnection of the device from the head.

[0006] A gyroscope can be a type of gyroscope device.

[0007] In one embodiment, when monitoring measurements from the IMU sensor over time, the controller is configured to monitor acceleration and angular velocity on the x, y, and z axes from the IMU sensor, wherein optionally, the x-axis is the longitudinal axis of the body, and the y and z axes are orthogonal to the x-axis. In this way, the x, y, and z axes can be orthogonal to each other and can correspond to a Cartesian coordinate system.

[0008] In one embodiment, one or more measurements include total acceleration and total angular velocity, wherein the controller is configured to use a formula when calculating one or more measurements. Calculate the total acceleration and use the formula Calculate the total rotational velocity, where ·. is the total acceleration, ·. is the acceleration along the x-axis, ·. is the acceleration along the y-axis, ·. is the acceleration along the z-axis, ·. is the total rotational velocity, ·. is the rotational velocity along the x-axis, ·· is the rotational velocity along the y-axis, and ·· is the rotational velocity along the z-axis.

[0009] In one embodiment, the controller is configured to plot the standard deviations of total acceleration and total rotational speed on a scatter plot when a connection or disconnection event is identified, with one axis corresponding to the standard deviation of total acceleration and another axis corresponding to the standard deviation of total rotational speed. Advantageously, this method is more accurate than using waveforms directly.

[0010] In one embodiment, the controller is configured to construct a waveform based on the measurement results from the IMU sensor over time as it monitors the measurement results from the IMU sensor over time.

[0011] In one embodiment, the personal care device also includes a motor for powering the device, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a standby mode when the motor is not running. Most likely, the user will put the device into standby mode when changing devices. Therefore, operating the controller in standby mode prevents missing any device replacements. It should also be understood that this is an optional feature, and the controller can operate while the motor is running, for example, when the personal care device is a shaver and the user is shaving.

[0012] In one embodiment, the connection portion is configured to deform in response to the connection structure of a device inserted therein, and this deformation can be detected by an IMU sensor.

[0013] In one embodiment, the connecting portion includes a spring, and the connecting structure includes a protrusion, wherein the spring is configured to deform in response to movement of the protrusion through compression, and to return to a neutral position of the spring in response to having moved through it, wherein an IMU sensor is configured to detect the spring returning to its neutral position. The spring returning to its neutral position may be associated with vibration, which may produce sound, such as a clicking sound.

[0014] In one embodiment, the protrusion is a first protrusion, and the connection structure includes a second protrusion spaced from the first protrusion by a notch, wherein the notch provides a weak point for the second protrusion to break in response to the device being disconnected from the connection portion. Advantageously, breaking the second protrusion means that the IMU measurements will be different for new devices and for devices that have been used and disconnected. This allows the controller to detect when a new or old device has been connected to the head.

[0015] In one embodiment, the personal care device also includes the device.

[0016] In one embodiment, the personal care device is a razor, and the device includes blades.

[0017] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a computer-implemented method is provided that detects a connection event in response to connecting a device to a connection portion of the head of a personal care device, or detects a disconnection event in response to disconnecting the device from the connection portion of the head of the personal care device. The computer-implemented method includes: monitoring over time measurement results from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor positioned within a handle of the personal care device, the head located at an end of the handle; calculating one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; identifying a connection event or a disconnection event when one or more measurement values ​​fall within a classification boundary; and outputting the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal, wherein the IMU includes an accelerometer for measuring acceleration and a gyroscope for measuring rotational speed.

[0018] According to one embodiment, a transient or non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, on which instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the computer-implemented method of the foregoing aspects.

[0019] According to one example, a personal care device is provided, comprising: a handle; a head located at the end of the handle and having a connection portion for connecting and disconnecting the device; an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor located within the handle; and a controller configured to: monitor measurement results from the IMU sensor over time; calculate one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; identify a connection event or a disconnection event when one or more measurement values ​​fall within a classification boundary; and output the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal.

[0020] According to one example, a computer-implemented method is provided that detects a connection event in response to connecting a device to a connection portion of the head of a personal care device, or detects a disconnection event in response to disconnecting the device from the connection portion of the head of the personal care device. The computer-implemented method includes: monitoring over time measurement results from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor positioned within a handle of the personal care device, the head located at the end of the handle; calculating one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; identifying a connection event or a disconnection event when one or more measurement values ​​fall within a classification boundary; and outputting the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal.

[0021] These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent and will be elucidated with reference to one or more embodiments described below. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The embodiments of the invention can be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 A perspective view of a personal care device according to one embodiment and a removable device attached to the head of the personal care device is shown;

[0024] Figure 2 A perspective view of the head of a personal care device according to one embodiment and a removable device therebetween is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view is shown of the connection portion of the head of a personal care device according to one embodiment and the connection structure of the device inserted therein;

[0026] Figure 4 A block diagram of components in the handle of a personal care device according to one embodiment is shown, including an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a controller;

[0027] Figure 5 The time-domain waveform of acceleration monitored by the IMU during a device connection event is shown according to one embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 An example is shown in the form of a... Figure 5 The time-domain waveform of the angular velocity monitored by the IMU during the device connection event;

[0029] Figure 7 The time-domain waveform of acceleration monitored by the IMU during a device disconnection event is shown according to one embodiment;

[0030] Figure 8 An example is shown in the form of a... Figure 7 The time-domain waveform of the angular velocity monitored by the IMU during the device disconnection event;

[0031] Figure 9 A scatter plot of the standard deviation of the total acceleration and angular velocity of multiple events according to one embodiment is shown, including classifier boundaries that separate other events from device connection and disconnection events;

[0032] Figure 10A This illustrates a sequence of events from a device prior to a disconnection event, according to one embodiment. Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the connection of the devices;

[0033] Figure 10BThis illustrates the connection formation following a disconnection event according to one embodiment. Figure 10A Similar views; and

[0034] Figure 11 A flowchart summarizing a computer-implemented method according to one embodiment is shown, the method detecting a connection event in response to connecting a device to a connection portion of the head of a personal care device, or detecting a disconnection event in response to disconnecting the device from the connection portion of the head of the personal care device. Detailed Implementation

[0035] At least some of the example embodiments described herein can be constructed, in whole or in part, using dedicated hardware. Terms such as 'component,' 'module,' or 'unit' as used herein may include, but are not limited to, hardware devices such as circuits in discrete or integrated component form, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that perform a particular task or provide associated functionality. In some embodiments, the described elements may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. In some embodiments, these functional elements may include (by way of example) components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Although example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules, and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it should be understood that the described features can be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, features of any example embodiment may be suitably combined with features of any other embodiment, unless such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the terms "comprising" or "comprises" mean to include the specified components (one or more), but do not exclude the presence of other components.

[0036] Personal care devices or appliances may include styling tools, but also cleaning tools, skin treatment tools, hair removal tools, massage devices, etc. Generally speaking, personal care appliances perform treatments or operations on the human or animal body.

[0037] Hair cutting and styling appliances are well known in the art and can include, for example, razors, trimmers, epilators, hair styling appliances, and combinations thereof. Typically, hair styling appliances include an electric motor arranged to drive a cutting unit, such as a blade assembly, to perform hair cutting and / or styling operations. More generally, hair cutting appliances can also be referred to as styling appliances.

[0038] refer to Figure 1 The personal care device 10 includes a handle 12 and a head 14 located at the end of the handle. The head 14 has a connection portion 16 for connecting and disconnecting the device 18 thereto.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 The connecting portion 16 includes a first groove and a second groove 20. The device 18 includes a connecting structure. The connecting structure includes a first post and a second post 22. The first post and the second post 22 have cross-sectional shapes complementary to the first groove and the second groove 20. In this way, the post 22 can be inserted into the groove 20.

[0040] The device 18 includes functional elements 24, such as a razor or other styling tools listed above.

[0041] The handle 12 extends in the x-axis direction. In other words, the x-axis extends in a straight line with the longitudinal axis of the handle 12. The y-axis and z-axis are orthogonal to the x-axis. In this way, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis can be orthogonal to each other and can correspond to a Cartesian coordinate system.

[0042] refer to Figure 3 The connecting portion may include a spring 26. The connecting structure, or more specifically, the post 22, includes a protrusion 28 and a recess 30. The spring may be a spring clip with two arms, a first arm 32 fixed to the inner surface of the head 14, and a second arm 34 extending from an elbow 35 between the first and second arms 34. The second arm includes a protrusion 36 having a shape complementary to the recess 30.

[0043] When the device is connected to the handle, the second arm 34 elastically deforms as the protrusion 36 passes the protrusion 28 of the post 22. When the protrusion 36 of the second arm 34 fits into the recess 30, the second arm returns to its intermediate position. This action can cause vibration and noise, such as a "clicking" sound. The opposite pattern occurs during disconnection events.

[0044] In this way, the connecting portion is configured to deform in response to the connecting structure of the device inserted therein, wherein the connecting portion includes a spring, and the connecting structure includes a protrusion, wherein the spring is configured to deform in response to the protrusion moving through the spring and compressing, and to return to the neutral position of the spring in response to the protrusion having moved through the spring.

[0045] refer to Figure 4 Various components are positioned within the handle 12. These components include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor 40, a controller 42, and a power supply 44.

[0046] The IMU 40 may include an accelerometer for measuring acceleration and a gyroscope (or gyroscope) for measuring rotational or angular velocity.

[0047] Controller 42 may include processor 46 and memory 48. The memory may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by processor 46, cause processor 46 to perform any of the methods described herein. In other embodiments, controller 42 may be part of an embedded system.

[0048] The controller is configured to monitor measurements from IMU sensor 40 over time, calculate one or more measurements based on the monitored results, identify a connection event or disconnection event when one or more measurements fall within a classification boundary, and output the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal. This signal can be used within the controller to perform other functions. For example, when the controller is also used to monitor wear and predict equipment replacement time, a signal associated with a connection event can be used to start a timer, and a signal associated with a disconnection event can be used to reset the timer.

[0049] The power source 44 can be a battery, a primary battery, or a secondary battery (or a rechargeable battery). The power source can also be a power unit. The power source 44 can supply power to the controller 42 and the IMU sensor 40.

[0050] A motor (not shown) may also be provided in the handle to power the device. The motor may be powered by power supply 44. The controller may be configured to operate in standby mode when the motor is not running. The controller may also be configured to operate when no longer in standby mode, i.e., when the motor is running.

[0051] refer to Figures 5 to 8 As can be seen, when monitoring the measurement results from the IMU sensor over time, the controller is configured to monitor the acceleration and angular velocity on the x, y, and z axes from the IMU sensor. Figure 5 and Figure 6 In this model, for acceleration and angular velocity, the measurements on each axis are presented as time-domain waveforms. More specifically, Figure 5 and Figure 7 The acceleration waveforms on the x-axis (ax), y-axis (ay), and z-axis (az) are shown respectively. Figure 6 and Figure 8The angular velocity waveforms on the x-axis (gx), y-axis (gx), and z-axis (gz) are shown respectively.

[0052] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The dashed line in the figure is indicated by reference numeral 1, which indicates the start of the connection event.

[0053] Figure 7 and Figure 8 The other dashed line in the figure is indicated by reference numeral 2, which indicates the start of the disconnection event.

[0054] The IMU sensor detects the movement of the handle. This includes movement made by the user when connecting and disconnecting the device. This movement also includes vibration, such as when the spring deforms or deflects, and when the spring returns to its neutral position. For example, returning to the spring's neutral position can be associated with sudden changes in vibration, such as vibration changes associated with noise like a clicking sound.

[0055] The controller can be configured to construct the aforementioned waveform based on the measurement results from the IMU sensor over time as it monitors the measurement results from the IMU sensor.

[0056] Given the operation of the controller described above, in some cases, one or more measurements include total acceleration and total angular velocity. In this way, the controller is configured to use the formula when calculating one or more measurements. Calculate the total acceleration and use the formula Calculate the total rotational velocity, where ·· is the total acceleration, ·· is the acceleration along the x-axis, ·· is the acceleration along the y-axis, ·· is the acceleration along the z-axis, ·. is the total rotational velocity, ·. is the rotational velocity along the x-axis, ·. is the rotational velocity along the y-axis, and ·. is the rotational velocity along the z-axis.

[0057] refer to Figure 9 The controller can be configured to plot the standard deviation of total acceleration and the standard deviation of total rotational speed on a scatter plot when a connection event or disconnection event is identified when one or more measurements fall within the classification boundary 50. The scatter plot has one axis corresponding to the standard deviation of total acceleration and another axis corresponding to the standard deviation of total rotational speed.

[0058] It should be noted that the x-axis of the scatter plot is in units of the standard deviation (St.dev) of the total acceleration (Acc), and the y-axis is in units of the standard deviation of the rotational speed (gyroscope). Scatter plots can be constructed using a logarithmic scale.

[0059] The classification boundary 50 can be constructed manually using training data or a machine learning model, such as an unsupervised machine learning model, or a clustering algorithm, such as k-means clustering. During inference, if an event falls within the classification boundary, it is classified as either a blade on / off event or a blade off / unconnected event. If an event falls outside the classification boundary, it is classified as another event, or a non-connected / non-disconnected event. Such other events may include operating the device to perform functions associated with the device, such as shaving, trimming, cutting, etc.

[0060] refer to Figure 10A and Figure 10B In other embodiments, post 22 may include a first protrusion 54 and a second protrusion 56 spaced apart from the first protrusion by a notch 58. The notch 58 provides a weak point for the second protrusion to break in response to the device disconnecting from the connection, i.e., in response to a disconnection event. In this way, the vibration mode of the spring across the protrusion(s) is different for new and used blades. In this way, the controller can output a signal to warn the user that they are using a worn blade.

[0061] refer to Figure 11 The foregoing embodiments can be summarized as a computer-implemented method that detects a connection event in response to connecting a device to a connection portion of the head of a personal care device, or detects a disconnection event in response to disconnecting the device from the connection portion of the head of the personal care device. This computer-implemented method may include: monitoring (S1) measurement results from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor positioned within the handle of the personal care device, the head located at the end of the handle; calculating (S2) one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; identifying (S3) a connection event or a disconnection event when one or more measurement values ​​fall within a classification boundary; and outputting the identified connection event or disconnection event as a signal (S4).

[0062] Although the invention has been described in detail in the accompanying drawings and the foregoing description, such descriptions are to be considered illustrative or exemplary, and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0063] By studying the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude multiple. A single processor or other unit can perform the functions of several items listed in the claims. The fact that certain measures are referenced only in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A personal care device (10), comprising: Handle (12); The head (14) is located at the end of the handle and has a connection portion (16) for connecting and disconnecting the device (18); An inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor (40) is located within the handle (12); as well as Controller (42), the controller being configured to: The measurement results from the IMU sensor (40) are monitored over time; Calculate one or more measurement values ​​based on the monitored measurement results; When one or more of the measured values ​​fall within the classification boundary (50), a connection event or a disconnection event is identified; and Output the identified connection or disconnection event as a signal. The IMU includes an accelerometer for measuring acceleration and a gyroscope for measuring rotational speed.

2. The personal care device (10) according to claim 1, wherein when monitoring the measurement results from the IMU sensor (40) over time, the controller (42) is configured to monitor the acceleration and angular velocity from the IMU sensor (40) on the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis, wherein optionally, the x-axis is the longitudinal axis of the body, and the y-axis and z-axis are orthogonal to the x-axis.

3. The personal care device (10) according to claim 2, wherein the one or more measurements include total acceleration and total angular velocity, wherein the controller (42) is configured to use a formula when calculating the one or more measurements. Calculate the total acceleration and use the formula Calculate the total rotational speed, where · is the total acceleration, · is the acceleration on the x-axis, · is the acceleration on the y-axis, · is the acceleration on the z-axis, · is the total rotational speed, · is the rotational speed on the x-axis, · is the rotational speed on the y-axis, and · is the rotational speed on the z-axis.

4. The personal care device (10) according to claim 3, wherein the controller (42) is configured to: when identifying the connection event or the disconnection event when one or more measurements fall within the classification boundary (50), plot the standard deviation of the total acceleration and the standard deviation of the total rotational speed on a scatter plot having one axis corresponding to the standard deviation of the total acceleration and another axis corresponding to the standard deviation of the total rotational speed.

5. The personal care device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller (42) is configured to construct a waveform based on the measurement results from the IMU sensor (40) over time when monitoring the measurement results from the IMU sensor (40) over time.

6. The personal care device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims further includes a motor for powering the device (18), wherein the controller (42) is configured to operate in a standby mode when the motor is not in operation.

7. The personal care device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the connection portion (16) is configured to deform in response to the connection formation in which the device (18) is inserted, the deformation being detectable by the IMU sensor (40).

8. The personal care device (10) according to claim 7, wherein the connecting portion includes a spring (26), and the connecting structure includes a protrusion (28; 54), wherein the spring (26) is configured to respond to the protrusion (28; 54). 54) The movement is compressed and deformed by the spring (26), and responds to the protrusion (28); 54) has moved past the spring (26) and returned to the neutral position of the spring, wherein the IMU sensor (40) is configured to detect that the spring (26) has returned to the neutral position of the spring.

9. The personal care device (10) of claim 8, wherein the protrusion is a first protrusion (54), and the connection structure includes a second protrusion (56) spaced apart from the first protrusion (54) by a notch (58), wherein the notch (58) provides a weak point for the second protrusion (56) to break in response to a disconnection of the device (18) from the connection portion.

10. The personal care device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims further includes the device (18).

11. The personal care device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the personal care device (10) is a razor and the device (18) includes a blade.

12. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method detecting a connection event in response to connecting a device (18) to a connection portion (16) of a head (14) of a personal care device (10), or detecting a disconnection event in response to disconnecting the device (18) from the connection portion (16) of the head (14) of the personal care device (10), the computer-implemented method comprising: The measurement results from the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor (40) are monitored over time (S1), the IMU sensor (40) being positioned inside the handle (12) of the personal care device (10), and the head (14) being located at the end of the handle (12); Calculate one or more measurement values ​​(S2) based on the monitored measurement results; When one or more of the measured values ​​fall within the classification boundary (50), an identification (S3) connection event or disconnection event is triggered; as well as Output the identified connection or disconnection event as a signal (S4). The IMU includes an accelerometer for measuring acceleration and a gyroscope for measuring rotational speed.

13. A transient or non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor (46), cause the processor (46) to perform the computer-implemented method according to claim 12.

Images